Spicy Shrimp Salad

I recently started a 21-Day Fix Challenge Group.  Let me tell you... it has been amazing!!!  I have been working out for 30 minutes a day, doing the DVD workouts that come with the 21-Day Fix Program.  I love them because they are done in 1-minute intervals, there are modifications for all different fitness levels, and EVERYONE who sticks with it WILL see results.  No matter if you have 100+ pounds to lose, or don't want to lose any weight, but just want to tone up your body. 

There is an eating plan with the 21-Day Fix Program, as well.  It comes with these color-coded containers, with each color being associated with a different food group (green = veggies, purple = fruit, etc.).  Depending on your weight, you get a certain number of each container per day.  Follow it, and you'll see results!  I am on Day 18 now, of my 21 days, so I'll post after my first round is over with my results!  

Anyway, so I've been trying new, healthy recipes since being on the 21-Day Fix.  This is one of them.  Spicy shrimp salad.  This was my lunch one day.  It was so delicious!!  I made a big batch of shrimp to use for shrimp tacos the following day, and got another salad out of it, as well.  I didn't measure anything, just did everything to taste when I baked the shrimp.  

Spicy Shrimp Salad

Raw shrimp

Chili powder

Black pepper

Cumin

Cayenne pepper (optional)

Lettuce

Vegetable salad toppings (onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.)

Corn

Salad dressing of choice (vinegar & 1 tsp oil is delicious)

In a bowl, toss the shrimp with as much chili powder, black pepper, cumin and cayenne pepper as you would like.  I probably used about a Tablespoon each of chili powder, black pepper and cumin, and then just a pinch of cayenne.  I also used a full bag of thawed raw shrimp with the tails removed.  Arrange the seasoned shrimp on a baking sheet.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, flipping at the 10-minute mark.  

Meanwhile, make your salad.  I was only making one individual salad, so I used 1 cup of lettuce (1 Green container) and 1/2 cup of assorted vegetables (1/2 Green container)... I just used what I had on hand at the time (onions, cucumbers, celery).  I then added 1/2 cup corn (1 Yellow container).  

Once the shrimp was done, I filled a Red container (3/4 cup) with shrimp... it ended up being 6 shrimp for me.  I tossed that on top of the salad.  It is so flavorful, it honestly doesn't even need dressing.  You can use a dressing of choice, or just a teaspoon of olive oil with vinegar to taste.  

Its a super simple, delicious and healthy lunch!  I also had a cup of fruit on the side and a big glass of water with mine.  

Fix:  1 1/2 Green, 1 Red, 1 Yellow, 1 Spoon

If you're interested in hearing more about the 21 Day Fix, leave me a comment below!  

Chicken Pasta Salad

I had to come up with something to take to a church potluck a few weeks ago.  I wanted to take something that I could eat, so that means it had to be dairy-free and could not contain beans or gassy veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc.).  I also wanted it to be a somewhat complete meal if I needed it to be.  This was the first potluck at church that we have participated in, so I also wasn't sure if I would be able to keep anything warm (in a crockpot) while we were at church.  I debated and debated over what to bring and ended up deciding that a pasta salad would probably be my best choice... even though I can't even tell you the last time I ate any pasta.  :) 

So I went looking on the internet and decided to use a recipe on AllRecipes for inspiration.  I eliminated the cheese, increased the amounts of vegetables, sauted the mushrooms, used chicken that I shredded myself instead of canned, and used homemade mayo.  I did use store-bought italian dressing because I had some in the refrigerator, but it did not contain HFCS, at least.  This was really good!  I'll definitely make it again when I need a pasta salad.  I have posted it below as I made it.

Chicken Pasta Salad

1 pound rotini/corkscrew pasta
8-oz package mushrooms, chopped
1 can pitted black olives, chopped
3-5 stalks celery, chopped
2 cups frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 1/4 cup Italian salad dressing, preferably homemade
3/4 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade
1 1/2 cup shredded chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta to al dente in heavily salted water.  Pour into a large bowl. 

Saute the mushrooms in coconut oil until softened.  Add to pasta, along with black olives, celery, corn, peas, bell pepper, and chicken.   

In a separate bowl, whisk the Italian salad dressing and mayo together.  Pour over pasta salad and mix well.  Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fried Egg Topped Salad

For those that don't know, I've been dairy-free for 4 months now... since I've had my daughter.  I am breastfeeding her and she does not tolerate dairy well at all.  It's pretty much pure torture for her.  So I've had to make a lot of adjustments to my diet to suit her needs.

My favorite salad dressing is homemade ranch, but of course this has dairy in it.  I was making homemade honey mustard dressing there for awhile and would also use vinegar and oil (which has kind of become my new favorite, actually) quite often, but they both get old after awhile.  Especially with as many salads as I consumed (and still am consuming) this year with our delicious salad greens from our CSA. 

So I started using fried eggs on my salads.  I just cook the egg whites and keep the yolk runny.  The yolk then becomes my salad dressing.  This picture was taken one of the first couple times I made them like this and only has one egg on it.  I actually usually use one whole egg plus another yolk now.  It makes such a delicious salad dressing and it is SUPER nutritious!  Give it a try the next time you make a salad. 


This post is linked to:
Simple Lives Thursday @ GNOWFGLINS
Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager
Monday Mania @ Healthy Home Economist

Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

Its strawberry season here in Michigan.  So that means we are eating strawberries quite a bit.  I'm always looking for new ways to use them.  With all the lettuce and spinach we're getting from the garden, we're also eating a lot of salads.  It dawned on me over the weekend that I should try making a strawberry vinaigrette dressing to eat on our salads.  So I just through a few things together in the blender tonight as I was processing an entire flat of strawberries... yes I got through them all last night... several trays of fruit leather, some frozen topping, some frozen puree, some frozen whole berries, and this dressing.  Not bad for about an hour and a half's work.  ;) 

So anyway, I didn't even look up a recipe.  I just pureed up some berries, added some vinegar, oil, and sea salt.  Then I tasted it.  It tasted great!  So here's what I did.

Strawberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

1 cup strawberries, hulled and chopped
3 Tablespoons vinegar - I used white wine vinegar
1/2 cup cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree.  Transfer to a mason jar or dressing bottle and serve or refrigerate.  Enjoy!


This post is linked to:
Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival at Hartke is Online
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
Pennywise Platter Thursday at The Nourishing Gourmet

Homemade Poppyseed Salad Dressing

We went over to my in-laws' house to celebrate Father's Day yesterday.  The family had lunch together after church.  We just had a simple lunch of make-your-own salads.  It was perfect for a hot day and a quick-prep meal!  We had a great assortment of toppings to choose from and everyone got to put together the perfect salad for themselves. 

I made a couple of homemade salad dressings to contribute to the spread... ranch and I tried a new recipe for poppyseed dressing.  I've been wanting to make poppyseed for quite a while now - I think I found this recipe over a year ago... and I didn't write down where I found it, so I'm not sure what the source is for this.  I just never got around to actually making it until Saturday.  This was very quick and easy to put together.  And it was very tasty!  I think everyone who tried it enjoyed it.  Even my husband tried it and said he really liked it (the picture is of his salad). 

Poppyseed Dressing

1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise
1/2 cup organic Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons poppy seeds

Mix all ingredients together until creamy.  You can either whisk in a bowl, or put all the ingredients into a glass jar and shake them all up together.   Once ingredients are combined, your dressing is ready to use.   Pour over salad and toss just before serving.  If you are making the dressing ahead of time, you'll want to shake/stir it up well just before using it.


This post is linked to:
Monday Mania at The Healthy Home Economist
Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival at Hartke is Online
Traditional Tuesdays at Delicious Obsessions

Tuna (or Egg) Salad in Avocado Boats

I've put tuna and egg salad in avocado boats many times over the years.  I got the idea from one of my friends back in college.  I haven't done this often these last couple of years, mostly because I kind of forgot about it, but also because my husband isn't a fan of avocado.  Now that we're trying to go mostly primal in our house, we won't be having bread for tuna or egg salad sandwiches anymore.  So Carson and I will be eating ours in avocado boats from now on.  Kevin just eats his straight with a fork or wrapped in lettuce. 

I mix avocado into our tuna and egg salad sometimes, too.. and Kevin eats that with few complaints usually.  It's delicious mixed into the salad, as well. 

Sorry for the poor quality of this picture.  I'll update once I get some decent pictures.  This was a boring tuna salad with just tuna, mayo, and mustard since I didn't have any of my other typical additions and I was serving it in the avocado boats, so didn't add the mashed avocado.  I'll post the way I usually make our tuna salad below.  I'll try to take a picture of our egg salad this week and post how we like ours later this week. 

Tuna Salad in Avocado Boats

1 or 2 avocado, sliced in half, peeled, and pitted
1 can white tuna
3-4 Tablespoons mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
1-2 Tablespoons mustard
2-3 Tablespoons dill pickle relish or diced cucumbers
2-3 Tablespoons diced celery and/or carrots
1/2 avocado, mashed (optional... if I serve in avocado boats, I leave this out)

Mix tuna with mayonnaise, mustard, relish or cucumbers, celery and carrots, and mashed avocado (if using) ina small bowl.  Fill avocado halves with the tuna salad and enjoy!


This post is linked to:
Grain-Free Tuesdays at Hella Delicious

Balsamic Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

I've made this recipe a couple of times now. It comes from one of my Organic Gardening magazines. I think it's really good on any type of salad. Its super easy to make, too. It literally takes about two minutes. This only makes about 1/2 cup of dressing, but it is so flavorful, it goes a long way.  Sorry, no picture.  I'll update if I ever think to take one.  :)

Balsamic Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Whisk all ingredients, except oil in a small bowl. Slowly add the oil as you continue whisking. Keep refrigerated.

Makes about 1/2 cup.


This post is linked to Real Food Wednesday on Kelly the Kitchen Kop and Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS.

French Dressing

This past weekend, we met some of our family at a basketball game in Grand Rapids and then we all went over to my SIL's house for dinner afterwards.  We had a delicious real food taco dinner.  I brought along some homemade french dressing to make taco salads.  Its another Heavenly Homemakers recipe.  I love Laura's recipes because they're so simple, yet taste so great.  This was no exception.  It tasted really good, as written below.  I will definitely be making this often, since french dressing is Kevin's favorite (though he tolerates my favorite, ranch, happily, too).  This dressing should keep really well, though... longer than my ranch dressing... so I'm guessing I'll be making this dressing quite regularly. 

Anyway, like I said, this tastes great the way it is, but I think I will do a little playing around with it.  I just used organic store-bought ketchup this time since I need to make a new batch of lacto-fermented ketchup.  It'll be awesome to make this with lacto-fermented ketchup so that we can gain the benefit of the probiotics.  I also want to play around with the seasonings.  I think we'd probably prefer a little less celery seed and I want to add some smoked paprika and a little onion powder.  I think I'd also like to try this with different vinegars.  All in due time, though.  I'll be sure to post any updates if we find something we like even better.  For now, we are really enjoying this version!

Homemade French Dressing

3/4 cup ketchup
2 Tablespoons sucanat or brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 Tablespoon ground celery seed

Put all ingredients directly into a pint sized jar. Put the lid on and shake it well. Refrigerate. Its best to make this dressing at least a couple hours before you need it.  Even better would be the day before.  That's what I did.  You need to give it time to meld together and really develop a great flavor.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

Still trying to catch up on posts... though I think this is the last one for right now... more to come later!

This is another recipe from the Gluten Free Girlie. This is a super easy, simple, tasty summer side salad. We all really like it. Definitely a keeper and I've made it twice now!

Creamy Cucumber Salad

1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Mix all ingredients together and keep chilled before and after serving.

Quinoa Tabbouleh

I made this quinoa tabbouleh to take on our camping trip this past weekend. We were camping with the Gluten Free Girlie, so I had to make sure all of my food was gluten free. I have been wanting to make quinoa tabbouleh for about a year now, so I figured this would be my chance. I love tabbouleh! And this is a great way to have it if you're gluten free (and even if you're not!). Even Kevin liked this - and he doesn't normally care for tabbouleh. This was very quick and easy to make and is a great summertime healthy salad to take along to your bbq!

Quinoa Tabbouleh

2 cups water
1 cup quinoa
1 pinch salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, diced
2 bunches green onions, diced
2 carrots, grated
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
(I added about 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh garlic)

Bring water to a boil. Add quinoa and a pinch of salt. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature; fluff with a fork. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine olive oil, sea salt, lemon juice, tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, carrots and parsley. Stir in cooled quinoa.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

The Gluten Free Girlie, Kati, and her husband came over for dinner a few weeks ago. Kati brought along this tomato and cucumber salad. It was so delicious and I was so glad to see her post the recipe recently. Of course, I had to try it out, so we had it for lunch today. Its healthy and has all raw veggies in it, though its not considered a raw dish. But it still fits in with our goals to eat more raw and healthy. This is super fast and easy to throw together. And it tastes awesome! Carson and I love it! Kevin also really likes it, though he could do without the feta... he just picks it out, though.

Tomato Cucumber Salad

1 cucumber, peeled and cubed
1 large tomato, seeded and cubed
1 avocado, cubed
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
pepper, to taste
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together except juice, vinegar and olive oil. Chill. 20 minutes before serving add in other ingredients and stir. Chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Pesto Pea Salad

I saw this recipe on my SIL's blog almost a year ago now and have wanted to make it, but I always forget about it. We almost always have all of the ingredients on hand on any given day, so I can't believe it has taken me this long to make it. But like I said, I always forget about it. So anyway, I finally made this for our lunch today since I didn't have anything planned since we were thinking we'd be out in Holland. This salad actually popped into my brain as I was thinking of what kind of salad to make for lunch. This was delicious! And super simple and fast to put together. I think I will probably be taking this salad on a regular basis for my lunches. I didn't have any cooked chicken in the fridge, but it'd be great with chicken and other veggies, too.

Pesto Pea Salad

2 cups of frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbsp. crispy pine nuts
2 1/2 cups baby salad greens
grated parmesan (I forgot to put this on, but it was delicious without it!)
4 Tbsp. pesto, recipe follows (I used some that I had frozen last year)

To assemble, place the spinach leaves in a salad bowl. Sprinkle the peas and pignolis over the spinach. Add the pesto and toss. Top with cheese.

Pesto:
1/4 cup crispy walnuts
1/4 cup crispy pine nuts
3 Tbsp. diced garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups good olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 30 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is finely pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Serve, or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Raw Lettuce Wraps

We have been eating more and more raw things lately. We've even had a few nights of all raw meals. We are loving these raw lettuce wraps and have had them a few times now. These pictured just have avocado, cucumber, and carrots. (Kevin has his without the avocado since it gives him an allergic reaction this time of year.) I've added tomato, green bell pepper, and sweet onion to them, as well. They were great both ways! These are a little awkward for Carson to eat, so I just dice up the veggies we're having and shred a little lettuce for him to just eat with a fork. We usually have these with a fresh, raw fruit salad for a raw dinner that is very tasty and very healthy!

Raw Lettuce Wraps

Romaine lettuce leaves
Avocado, smashed
Cucumber
Carrots
Any other veggies you like - bell pepper, mushrooms, tomato, onion, etc.

Wash your lettuce and lay out the number of leaves you need. Smash your avocado and spread on the romaine leaves. Use a veggie peeler or cut in small dices the remaining veggies. Layer them on top of the avocado. To eat, roll in the sides of the romaine leaf to make a wrap and enjoy!

Cashew Avocado Chicken Salad

I made this chicken salad for our sandwiches for lunch this afternoon. I got the recipe from my SIL. It is absolutely delicious! Its nice and creamy and just so good! Kevin just tasted a tiny bit of it since he was afraid of the avocado giving him an allergic reaction this time of year, but he did like it. Carson and I both loved it! I will definitely be making this regularly. It was especially good on our homemade whole wheat bread! Yum!

Cashew Avocado Chicken Salad

4 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded (I used some pre-cooked and shredded chicken that I had frozen)
1/3 cup prepared Ranch salad dressing (I used mayo and some of my ranch dressing mix)
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 cup cashews (I chopped mine to make it safer for Carson to eat)
1 avocado - peeled, pitted and diced
salt and pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mix the cooked chicken, dressing, dill, cashews, and avocado. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.

I served mine on homemade sandwich bread with provolone cheese and baby spinach leaves.

Veggie Quinoa Salad with Pesto Dressing

I saw this salad posted on Food in Jars earlier this week and decided to switch up my original meal plans to make it since I already had everything on hand and it just sounded delicious. We had it for dinner last night and it was so, so, so good! A perfect warm weather, meatless dinner! We all loved it! I will definitely be making this a regular meal on our table! It'd be a great salad to take to a potluck, too, since it can be served slightly warm/room temp or chilled.

Vegetable-Stuffed Quinoa Salad with Pesto Dressing

2 cups quinoa (cooked in 4 cups water)
1 bundle asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red pepper, chopped (I used a green one since that's what I had)
1/2 red onion, roughly chopped (I added some chopped chives from my garden instead)
1/2 english cucumber, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
6 ounces feta, crumbled
4 ounces of pesto
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
olive oil (some for roasting asparagus and some for the dressing)
salt
pepper
Toasted almonds (optional)

Cook the two cups of quinoa by combining it with four cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce temperature. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until it is tender. When it is finished cooking, spread it out on a cookie sheet to cool.

Spread the asparagus out on a small cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 425 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

Combine chopped red pepper, onion, cucumber, parsley and drained garbanzo beans in a large bowl.

Whisk the pesto, vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil together until runny. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add quinoa to the chopped vegetables. Gently stir to combine. Add the crumbled feta and dressing and fold in. Top with toasted almonds and serve. Can be made up to 24 hours in advance.

Raw Carrot & Cucumber Salad with Peanut Dressing

I've been trying to add in more and more raw, living foods into our diet and meals. The benefits of eating raw, living food are just too amazing to ignore. I highly doubt we'll ever become totally raw, but I think it would be nice to eat half raw at some point. And now that Kevin is starting to jump on the health food bandwagon and is thinking about what he eats a little more now than he ever has, he's actually game for trying this, too! So hopefully you'll be seeing more and more raw recipes on my blog in the weeks and months to come. I have quite a few recipes bookmarked, printed, or saved on my link list on this blog that I want to try. It'll be easier now that the summer growing season is about to start and the availability of fresh, local, raw foods will be more readily available.

Anyway, we tried a raw carrot and cucumber salad with one of our meals this week. I found the recipe on Gone Raw. This was really good. I didn't use a chili pepper in my dressing since I didn't have one on hand and didn't feel like buying one. I just squirted in a little Sriracha chili sauce - not much because I didn't want to make it too spicy for Carson. We all liked it and I think I'd definitely make it again!

I'll update with a picture later on.

Raw Carrot and Cucumber Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Salad:
2 medium-large carrots
1/2 cucumber
hemp or sesame seeds

Spicy peanut dressing:
1/4c peanut butter (or almond butter if you prefer)
1.5 tbsp tamari (or nama shoyu to be truly raw)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp lime juice
cayenne pepper or chili pepper, finely minced and seeded to taste (I just used a squirt or Sriracha)
1/4c water (start with 1/8c and add more as needed)
Add a bit more water as needed to get the right consistency

Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a bowl.

Using a veggie peeler, peel thin strips of the cucumber and carrots. You may want to chop the veggies in half first so your pieces aren't too big. Put into a bowl and toss with the dressing until well coated. Top with hemp seeds or sesame seeds.

Note: because of the water in the cucumber, if this salad is saved for the next day or two, it can get watery. So, store the salad separate from the dressing and when you want to eat it, take some and put in a bowl and dress.

Fruit Salad

I made this quite a few weeks ago now... I'm just still very behind on posting. Hopefully I'll actually catch up one day. :) Anyway, I had some mini marshmallows and some canned fruit to use up, so I decided to make this quick and simple fruit salad to take over to my grandpa's house a few weeks ago. Its definitely not healthy, but it used up some stuff in my pantry and it tastes good, so oh well. This is just a simple, common fruit salad recipe that everyone seems to make. I pulled this from AllRecipes.

Fruit Salad

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained
2 (11 ounce) cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 (10 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, halved
1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream (I used half sour cream and half vanilla yogurt b/c I only had half a container of sour cream left)

In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, oranges, cherries, marshmallows and sour cream together. Chill and serve.

Garlic Croutons

I am still so behind on posting recipes that I've made in months past and I'm not sure I'll ever get around to posting them all. I also realized that I don't post some of the smaller things I make. I've been making homemade garlic croutons now for several months and I just realized today that I have never posted the method I use. I've been making homemade bread every week now since the end of November and have made several batches of these croutons to use up the last inch or so of a loaf that we may have leftover at the end of the week. I also make breadcrumbs regularly with that leftover inch of the loaf... I just do them unseasoned and store them in a container in the freezer.

I decided to use a recipe/method that I found on Baking Bites the first time I made croutons and I've used this ever since. (Although, I may try out a new method this week from Cooking Bread to see how they compare...) I never make croutons with a 1/2 loaf of bread, so I just adjust the recipe below for my quantities/taste. And I use whatever bread I made that week - and they've all made great croutons.

I'll try and take a picture next time I make them if I think about it.

Homemade Garlic Croutons

1/2 loaf french bread (approx.)
1-2 cloves garlic, sliced in half
olive oil or melted butter
salt, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Slice the french bread into slices no more than 1/2-inch thick. Rub each slice with the cut side of your garlic. Brush lightly with butter, if desired. Cut the bread into cubes and place in a single layer on prepared baking sheet.

Spritz with olive oil if you have not yet rubbed the bread with butter or oil. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until croutons are crisp and lightly browned. If croutons are not browning evenly on all sides, turn over after 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet before adding to a salad.

Heavenly Pink Salad

I made this fruit dessert salad for Carson's birthday party today. This is another AllRecipes recipe. This is more like a dessert with the marshmallows in it. Its not really the most healthy of recipes, but its a nice treat. :) Very tasty, very quick to prepare.

Heavenly Pink Salad

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed

Mix together the cherry pie filling, condensed milk, oranges, pineapple, coconut, marshmallows and whipped topping. Chill for several hours and top with crushed pecans if desired.

Orange Cream Fruit Salad

I found this recipe for fruit salad on AllRecipes awhile back and decided to try it out for Carson's birthday party with my in-laws and friends yesterday. If you like creamy, pudding style fruit salads, you'll love this. I thought it was very good, Carson loved it, and Kevin liked it. Most people that like that type of salad also really liked it from what they said. It was very easy to throw together. I'll make it again and will add more fruit to it next time. Even with the extra can of mandarin oranges and extra banana, it seemed like it still had a lot of extra pudding.

I'll try to remember to take a picture and post it later.

Orange Cream Fruit Salad

1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup sour cream
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 (15 ounce) can sliced peaches, drained
1 (11 ounce) can mandarin orange segments (I added two cans)
2 bananas, sliced (I added three)
1 apple - peeled, cored and sliced

In a medium mixing bowl, combine pudding mix, milk, and orange juice concentrate. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Mix in sour cream. In a large salad bowl, combine fruits. Gently mix in orange dressing. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.